Libya's rogue general Khalifa Haftar released a statement this weekend saying that the people of Libya have given him a "mandate" to "crush jihadist militants in the country," according to Agence France Presse.

“We have accepted the mandate of the people...The (people) have given their instructions ... We pledge not to abandon this mission until Libya is purged of terrorists and extremists and all those who back them,” Haftar said in the statement released by his self-declared "supreme military council" that is based near the eastern city of Benghazi.

Thousands of Libyans rallied in Benghazi and Tripoli over the weekend in support of Haftar and his campaign to oust all Islamists from the country. The rallies are considered some of the largest demonstrations the country has witnessed since the overthrow of former dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

Many Libyans are growing increasingly frustrated with what they consider the dysfunctional, corrupt central government that was installed after Gaddafi's overthrow.